Posts Tagged ‘social stigma’

The following story is an unedited letter from a client detailing the difference that bankruptcy, and Doan Law Firm in particular, made in her life. She asked that we not publish her name.

When in debt and facing the potential of bankruptcy, we often feel like slaves to our debtor. We feel this because most likely we are.

If we are unable to pay on time, we are charged more. If we ignore the creditor, we are tainted with marks to a credit score while being charged more fees.

After years of avoiding creditors, my husband and I called Doan Law Firm. I came into their office feeling defeated and guilty. I knew those feeling were a direct result from the shame I felt after being sued not once, but twice, for not paying creditors. And the truth is I felt we deserved being sued, since we were unable to repay the debt.

After having excellent credit and being debt free, for years, my husband was in a bad accident on the job. He was not only hospitalized, but terminated from his job while laying in the ER.

When it was time to keep the lights on, I was grateful we had good credit. I figured it would allow us to make up the the difference in income we had lost from his job. But when my husband fell into a deep depression during a bad case of post traumatic stress syndrome, I felt that paying bills with credit cards, instead of having my husband worry about the finances, would be best. This ended up being my biggest regret.

Time passed so quickly and all the 0% cards soon came back at 32% and within two years we were way over our heads.

As devout Christians, I knew the debt was a sin. First, I was not only unable to keep my word and repay the creditors, but now money (or the lack of money) had become our biggest worry! I know to worry is the expectation that God is going to fail me, yet I operated in fear trying to fix things financially the wrong way. It was wrong to ignore the creditors while I was praying for some miraculous pay off that never arrived.

We didn’t want to file bankruptcy; we wanted to pay everyone back! Our excuse not to file was a mere reflection of the pride we carried.

After speaking to a rep at Doan Law Firm, I was told that I only needed a penny to remind me to trust in God. After that phone conversation I felt God tug on my heart. I hung up with that rep and that afternoon is when I fell to my knees in repentance. I didn’t realize how much I needed to repent from. I had to repent from mismanaging money, the spirit of entitlement ( I wanted to keep living the same way I did before the accident), I had to repent from lying ( I spent months lying to creditors telling them I would call them back and never did), and from the spirit of pride which kept me from getting help sooner. I fell on my face asking God to forgive me for being in debt, regardless of how I got there. I hadn’t realized how much was attached to the debt and how much it was blocking me from growing spiritually.

We had been tithing for years and still weren’t able to find financial overflow or freedom from living pay check to pay check.

It finally all made sense to me when I repented right before paying for our bankruptcy. God removed our pride and sense of entitlement, and He reminded us during this process how important it is to live right in every area of our life, and this included in our finances.

Recently, after we have arrived to a new season in our walk with the Lord, I lost one of my biggest accounts. I was worried, but the week we repented I saw a miracle. I picked up 3 new accounts, which tripled my income. I praise God because his love and mercy never failed us. He forgave us. In our case we needed to repent in order for the windows of heaven to release all that he had in store for us. It’s amazing all the goodness that comes from walking in obedience!

“Thank you Doan Law Firm for showing us love and compassion; we really needed it.”

Do you get extremely anxious when you talk or even think about money? Are your bills piled so high that they sometimes spill over? And, when you do open those much feared envelopes, do you just peek at the minimum payment line? Like millions of others, you may be suffering from the FUD Factor, FUD standing for Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt. Most psychologists will agree that this can lead to financial denial.

Denial is a disorder that plagues many Americans and leaves them avoiding and fearing anything having to do with finances. As one would suspect, the repercussions can be significant. Your bills, creditor calls, and debt will continue to grow. You may be optimistic and think everything will eventually work itself out, but that’s just the denial speaking.

There are various circumstances that could lead to having financial denial. If you were brought up in a background where talking about money was considered inappropriate, you will most likely feel uncomfortable or anxious when speaking later in life about it. On the other hand, those that grew up watching their parents argue over money will probably be fearful of the topic altogether.

Financial denial can lead to devastating outcomes, including divorce and even suicide. It is crucial that you address the issue before any of these effects occur. Bankruptcy, Debt Negotiation, andTax Negotiationcan help. That’s what we do. We help clients understand not only their situation, but more importantly, their options. We are here to help our clients find a path toward financial relief and a fresh start. By minimizing and wiping out their debt, most clients are able to focus on getting their disorder controlled and their financial lives in order.

Financial concerns are the leading cause of stress in America. In addition to being downright un-fun, financial stress causes a gamut of negative consequences including sleeplessness, anxiety, frustration, depression and hopelessness, affecting every aspect of our lives, especially work and family.

Unhealthy Americans make for an unhealthy America, both physically and financially. Compare the cost of a healthy lifestyle to the ramifications of major illnesses. Finances follow suit. If eliminating toxic debt can restore financial health to the individual, and collectively to the nation, then filing bankruptcy actually becomes an act of patriotism, and nothing to be ashamed of.

If you were suffering from a life-threatening disease, you would find the best, most experienced physician available. For your financial health, there is Doan Law Firm, considered among the best in the nation, having helped more than 25,000 people remove their toxic debt and renew their financial health.

Healthy families make up a healthy, productive society and bankruptcy can be an essential element of that equation. Doan Law Firm is California’s Largest Family of Attorneys and helps families every day improve their financial health.

“At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release of debts. And this is the form of the release: Every creditor who has lent anything to his neighbor shall release it; he shall not require it of his neighbor or his brother, because it is called the LORD’s release” (Deuteronomy 15:1-2).

The Bible refers to debt as a type of bondage: “…the borrower is a slave to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7). The Bible also declares, at the end of the sixth year: “…in the seventh year you shall let [your Hebrew slave] go free from you. And when you send him away free from you, you shall not let him go away empty-handed; but you shall supply him liberally from your flock…” (Deuteronomy 15:12- 14).

Current bankruptcy laws, like the Biblical provision, allow debtors to keep certain property when they file bankruptcy. This helps provide a fresh start and discourages going back into debt-bondage, allowing them to become more productive members of our community and meaningful contributors to our economy.

Doan Law Firm is a father-and- five-son law practice founded on Judeo-Christian principles and strives to treat every client with unfailing honesty and compassion.

Bankruptcy was so important to our Founding Fathers that they included it in the US

Constitution before defining the Bill of Rights, which includes our freedom of speech and religion, due process, trial by jury, and prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.

Isn’t it ironic that we Americans will provide shelter and security for those from distant and foreign lands, and yet struggle with the idea of accepting the same helping hand? Don’t those very words on the Statue of Liberty apply equally to the financially downtrodden – tired, poor, huddled masses yearning to breathe free? Don’t her broken shackles of oppression and tyranny apply equally to all of us? At Doan Law Firm, we break those shackles and provide a fresh start to all who pass through our doors.

The information on this bankruptcy attorney/law firm website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this or associated pages, documents, comments, answers, e-mails or other communications should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. The information on this website is not intended to create, and reciept or viewing of this information does no constitute, an attorney-client relationship.

doanlaw.net is an informational website sponsored by Brothers Law Group LLP (dba Doan Law Group), Law Offices of Gregory J. Doan Esq APC, SN Doan APC, Michael G. Doan APC, and Shawn A. Doan APC. Each of the foregoing entities individually owns and operates its respective law practice. Each entity has been designated by the Federal Government as a qualified debt relief agency that helps folks file bankruptcy under the bankruptcy code.
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